Riding the momentum generated by last fall’s dramatic enrollment growth, Dixie State College of Utah officials announced continued significant gains in enrollment as the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) made public its 2009 Spring Semester numbers. USHE officially released its third week enrollment figures for the spring semester this past Friday, which showed that DSC posted a 13.38% increase in total headcount with 6,052 students, 714 students ahead of the institution’s total of 5,338 in spring of 2008. The 13.38% gain was the second-highest percentage gain in the entire USHE system.
DSC also posted the System’s highest percentage gain in full-time equivalency (FTE*) enrollment this spring at 16.34% with 4,144 students, a 582 student FTE increase compared to 3,562 students this time last year.
“Dixie State’s student services continues to promote this institution as a destination where students can begin or continue their college education,” said DSC vice president of student services Frank B. Lojko. “We implemented a sound enrollment strategy plan last year and we are truly seeing these efforts paying off for us. In addition, we have begun offering additional two and four-year degree programs, and we are focusing special attention to building a positive college student-life culture on campus for all students.”
Dixie State also saw a 46% increase in upper division enrollment with 1,465 total headcount, up 481 students from this time last year.
“We are equally as pleased with the continued rise of our upper division enrollment,” Lojko added. “This shows that our four-year programs are successful and gaining traction. It also shows that our student retention efforts are working and we will continue to remain focused on giving our students every opportunity to complete their four-year degrees at Dixie State College.”
Last fall, Dixie State was among the leaders in the USHE system with an 8% increase in total headcount with 6,443 students, while DSC’s full-time equivalency (FTE*) figures for the fall semester also rose almost 11% with 4,422 students. In addition, the College’s Budget Related FTE experienced the highest-percentage increase USHE at nearly 12% overall with 4,332 students.
College officials attribute the institution’s overall enrollment growth to a number of factors, including affordable tuition costs, the addition of new baccalaureate and associate degree programs, and the quality and talent of Dixie’s faculty.
“In redesigning some of our existing strategies, we developed a special recipe for success, and as everyone can now see, we have exceeded our goal,” Lojko said. “Now we need to go out there and work even harder and continue to build on this success.”
*One FTE is defined as any combination of 15 units of credit enrolled in by one or more students. For example, if a student is taking 15 credit hours, that equals one FTE. If 15 students take one credit, that equals one FTE as well.
